The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1887-02-26
BERTHINES CAPTIYES.

save the rustliRg Of the snow allins upon
tzs cedars as it -H5,,fY been falling siass
midday, a fine, pSs2dery snow that spread
upon the branches a. frozen moss, upon
the frs coating of silver and upon the
roads and pathways an immense carpet,
soft and white, and which intensified the
stiffness of this sea of trees.
Before the door of a forester's hut a
young woman with her sleeves rolled up
to the elbows was cutting wood with an
ak upon a stone. Tall, supple and strong,
she was true daughter of the forest and
the child and wife of q forester. Sud-
denly voice came from the interior Of
the house:
ssNe are alone this evening, Berthine;
come in and make everything fast. There
may be Prussians as well as wolves in the
forest tonight. .
The wood chopper responded with re-
sounding stroke of the ak.
81 have nearly finished, mother, she
said; s'besides, there is no need of fear
yet; it is still daylight. Nevertheless,
she brought in her fagots and sticks Of
wood, and piling them up in the chimney
corner went out again to close up the
shed; then re-entering the room she
pushed to the door and locked and bolted
it.
Her mother, an old and wrinkled
woman whom age had made timid and
nervous, was seated by the fireside spin
ming.
81 do not like it, Berthine, . said she;
''when your father is from home, two
women are not strong.
ssBut I am not afraid, . the girl re-
sponded; ~ can defend myself from a
wolf or Prussian all the same, and
she glanced significantly at huge re-
volver suspended above the chimney
piece.
Berthine's husband had been in the
army ever since the beginning of the
Prussian invasion, and these two women
had remained alone with only the old
father, Nicholas Pichon, the ganekeeper,
as he was called in the neighborhood,
who had obstinately refused to leave his
dwelling and seek protection in the city.
The city nearest the Pichon hut was
Rethel, aquaint and ancient place perched
upon high rock. Filled with patriot
ism, the citizens had decided to resist in
vaders to shut themselves up, and If nee
essary sustain a siege such as had taken
zlaae t..ssa es4 4; sl;sszt fs5s
Z Nice already the Inhabitants of Rethel,
In the days of Henry " and Louis XIV,
had rendered themselves thus Ilustrious.
Purchasing supply Of cannon and guns,
equipping militia, and forming them
selves into battalions and companies, they
exercised daily on the Place d'Armes.
Bakers, grocers, butchers, notaries, law
yers, cabinet makers, librarians and even
druggists maneuvered in turn at the regu-
lation hour under the command Of M.
Lavigne, an ex-oficer Of dragons, and
to-day, thanks to his having married
the daughter and heiress of the shop
keeper, Raredan, the richest and most in
huential man in the city.
And thus they patiently waited the
Prussians, the Prussians who never came,
though twice they had been seen in the
forest, in the neighborhood of Pichon's
hut, who had run to warn the city.
This house Of Nicholas Pichon's served
as a sort of advance post in the forest of
Aveline; and twice week the old man
went into the city to purchase provisions
and to carry to the citizens the latest news
Of the campaign.
His errand to Rethel to-day was to an
nounce that small detachment of Ger
man infantry had halted near his house
about o'clock that morning. They did
not remain long, nor did he know the di-
rection they had taken, but all the same,
as soon as they had gone again Pichon
called his dogs and started for the city,
instructing his wife and daughter to bolt
and barr;ca,le the house when night
should fall, and on no account to open
the door, no matter who might knock.
Berthine was afraid of nothing, but the
old woman trembled and constantly re-
peated: 1T viii end badly-you will see
it viii end badly, surel'' and tonight
she seemed more unquiet than usual.
s.Knowest thou at what hour thy fa-
ther viii return?' she said to her daugh-
ter, presently,
ssNot before II, certainly. When fa-
ther dimes with the major commandant
(the title Lavigne had conferred upon
himself), he never returns till late, and
Berthine hung the pot over the fire and
prepared to make the soup. A'l at once
she ceased to stir it; she was fening to
an indistinct noise that came down the
hue Of the chimney.
'sSome one is walking in the wood, =
she said; ssseven or eight people at least.
The old woman, frightened to death,
stopped her wheel and began to whin-
per.
Mon Dieu, Berthine'' she cried; ssand
thy father is from homep'
But Berthine did not reply, for at the
moment there was a knock at the door,
and cultural voice demanded admit
tance.
ssOpen or Z u preak te toor, y the same
voice shouted a little later. Slipping the
revolver into her pocket, the young wo-
man crossed the room and, placing her
mouth to the keyhole, shouted in return:
ssAnd who are your" ssA detachment
from te udder side'' swell, what do
you want?'' Something's to eat; I haf
peen lost since morning in te woods; open
or I'll preak te toorr'
Without waiting for him to put his
threat into execution, she slipped the
bolts; the door swung heavily upon its
hinges, and she saw in the pale, snowy
light of the forest a group of soldiers
standing upon the step-the same, in
fact, she had seen the evening before.
This is no time of night to ask for
food, she continued, in resolute tone, ?
ssbesides, am alone in the house, with
only my mother"
sDat is noting, replied the officer,
who seemed to be good sort of fellow,
1--WE shall do you no harm, but we must
haf something's to eat; we fall NIT hunger
and fatigue
s.yery well, then, she responded.
s'enter, and viii see what can do. 2
The men appeared, as the officer had
said, to be worn out with hunger aud
fatigue. They had placed their guns and
caps in t corner, and now sat about the
table watching with the eager looks of
half starved animals the preparations for